Vegan pumpkin risotto

Step 1

Heat up the oven to 220° C / 425° F (regular setting, no fan) and grab a very large baking tray. If you aren't a good multitasker and have not made risotto before, complete steps 1,2,3 and 11 BEFORE adding rice to the pan (step 8).

Step 2

Cut butternut squash into a 1.25 cm / ½” dice and coat in 15 ml / 1 tbsp of olive oil. Season lightly and spread on the baking tray. Cut the top of the garlic head off to expose the cloves, drizzle with ½ tsp of olive oil and wrap it up completely in two layers of greaseproof baking paper or in a piece of kitchen foil and place on the tray, next to the pumpkin. Put into the hot oven.

Step 3

Give the pumpkin a good stir after 20 minutes and check on the garlic - it is done when the cloves are soft all the way through. Remove the garlic from the oven if done. Carry on roasting the pumpkin until soft and lightly charred - another 10 minutes.

Step 4

Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan or pot, one that you have a fitted lid for. Add sage leaves and allow them to crisp up in the hot oil for 30-45 seconds. Once done - they will become darker in colour and stiff - fish them out of the oil and place on a piece of kitchen paper, set aside.

Step 5

Add diced onion to the sage flavoured oil. Fry on a low heat until translucent, stirring from time to time. Season, keeping in mind that both miso and your stock (if salted) will contribute some saltiness too, so go easy.

Step 6

Warm up veggie stock in a separate pot. Take a splash of warm stock and pour it into a separate bowl with miso paste and nutritional yeast. Mix the three together until you get a smooth, lump-free mixture and then add it back to the main pot. Stir well. Keep this stock hot.

Step 7

Once onion is translucent, add chopped garlic cloves and season again lightly. Fry, stirring frequently, until fragrant and softened (about 2 minutes).

Step 8

Mix in arborio rice and fry it off for a few seconds, stirring frequently.

Step 9

Next add wine and give the rice a good stir so that it doesn't stick to the pan. Allow the wine to cook off completely before adding the first small portion (60 ml / ¼ cup or so) of the hot stock.

Step 10

Keep on adding the stock, in small amounts, until fully absorbed by the rice before adding the next portion. Make sure to stir the rice often to activate the starch, which makes for a creamy risotto.

Step 11

Once pumpkin is out of the oven, transfer 1 cup (about 150 g) of roasted pumpkin, squeezed out garlic cloves and 1 cup of water to a blender. Blend until smooth. Then add it the rest of the stock and warm the whole thing up, before adding into the the risotto bit by bit, like you did with the stock up to this point.

Step 12

Keep on adding the liquid (you may not need all of it) to the rice until the rice is almost cooked. Decrease the amounts of liquid towards the end as you want the rice cooked correctly - soft but with a little of a bite (al dente) as well as the correct consistency - if you run a wooden spoon through the middle of the risotto, rice should fill the space behind your spoon very slowly.

Step 13

Once the rice is al dente, stir in some vegan cream if using, fine tune the seasoning and add a bit of balsamic vinegar if you like a touch of acidity to break through the creaminess. Switch the heat off, cover the pan and allow the risotto to rest for 3-5 minutes.

Step 14

Divide the risotto between bowls, top with roasted butternut squash, crumbled sage leaves and optionally almond bacon.